Clinical Nurse Specialist - Reentry Nursing Program Supervisor -PO20-HQ

Clinical Nurse Specialist - Reentry Nursing Program Supervisor (Project)Tumwater, WAYearly Salary Range: $125,208 to $205,284

The Department of Corrections is seeking a motivated Clinical Nurse Specialist - Reentry Nursing Program Supervisor to fill the project postion.

This position provides statewide clinical oversight, program coordination, and operational leadership for the nursing components of the Medicaid Transformation Project Reentry Waiver. This position ensures that facility-based Reentry Nurses consistently implement the required services for eligible individuals during the 90-day pre-release period. The position promotes standardized nursing practice, patient safety, timely care coordination, and successful reentry outcomes across DOC facilities. This position partners closely with Health Services Reentry, and is an integral part of the mission to provide comprehensive, specialized healthcare discharge planning and community linkage to individuals releasing from incarceration to support integration and wellness.

This position shares supervisory duties with facility nursing leaders to manage statewide reentry nursing services. While this role provides statewide clinical and program leadership, local facility nursing leaders manage daily supervision, scheduling, workflows, and performance reviews. This shared structure supports consistent operations across all state facilities.

Application assessment will be ongoing, and the hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.

 

"This recruitment could be used to fill multiple permanent or non-permanent positions." 

Serves as the organization-wide clinical expert and consultant on nursing components of the reentry program and 1115 waiver. This role provides strategic nursing leadership to establish standards of care, develop clinical protocols, and design comprehensive educational programs. Collaborate with the multidisciplinary teams to ensure program compliance, drive quality improvement, and elevate nursing staff competencies to support successful patient transition into the community.

• Develops, reviews, and updates standardized nursing workflows, tools, checklists, and templates to support consistent reentry nursing practice across DOC facilities.
• Leads the development and implementation of nursing protocols related to pre-release health care coordination, medication access planning, patient education, community provider linkage, and continuity of care.
• Collaborates with Health Services leadership, facility leadership, Health Services Reentry Team, pharmacy, behavioral health, Medicaid enrollment partners, IT, and other stakeholders to align nursing practice with program requirements and operational needs.
• Develops, maintains, and utilizes tracking tools to monitor compliance with program requirements including clinical documentation, care coordination, and other required nursing elements of the reentry program and 1115 waiver.
• Reviews facility-level and statewide program data to ensure eligible individuals are identified and receiving appropriate nursing support during the 90-day pre-release period.
• Monitors compliance with established workflows related to reentry health care planning, medication coordination, Medicaid/Apple Health reactivation support, community health care linkage, and release preparation.
• Participates in the development, review, and revision of policies, procedures, desk manuals, and standard work related to the reentry nursing program.
• Provide education to staff regarding essential components of the reentry program and 1115 waivers in alignment with best practices and evidence-based care.
• Provide education to nursing staff regarding policies, protocols and standard work that support successful reentry.
• Work closely with nursing leadership at the facility level for ongoing assessment of competency and adherence to relevant protocols relating to the reentry program and 1115 waiver.
• Partners closely with Social Work leadership for collaborative approach to transition planning and delineation of reentry roles
• Responsible for release medications processes statewide to include process improvement and multidisciplinary work to ensure patients receive medications.
• Conducts routine audits of documentation and program activities to verify that nursing services are completed timely, accurately, and in alignment with program expectations.
• Collaborates with the multidisciplinary team, Medicaid enrollment partners, facility leadership, and external stakeholders to resolve barriers impacting program compliance.
• Supports corrective action planning when facilities are not meeting program expectations and follows up to ensure sustained improvement.
• Participates in continuous quality improvement to standardize reentry nursing practice, improve care transitions, and support successful implementation of the 1115 waiver across DOC facilities.
• Maintains awareness of program requirements, emerging operational needs, and lessons learned from facility implementation to support ongoing program improvement.
• Elevates facility-level concerns, staffing barriers, compliance risks, or unresolved operational issues to Health Services leadership as appropriate.
• Partners with the nurse education team, facility training managers, safety officers, and other involved parties to develop, implement and monitor multidisciplinary education regarding reentry services
• Ensure current, complete and confidential patient records are maintained in accordance with Health Service Policies and Procedures.

Provides shared supervisory oversight and clinical guidance for reentry nurses and medical assistants assigned to support the nursing components of the reentry program and 1115 Waiver. Ensure staff are performing assigned duties consistent with DOC Health Services expectations, nursing standards, scope of practice, program workflows, and waiver requirements. Partner with facility level nurse leaders to ensure staff receive consistent clinical guidance, operational support, coaching, and accountability while maintaining alignment with the statewide reentry program.

• Promotes consistent statewide practice while respecting facility-specific operational needs, security requirements, and supervisory structures.
• Clarifies roles and responsibilities between statewide program oversight and facility-level supervision to ensure staff receive consistent direction and avoid conflicting expectations.
• Collaborates with the facility-level RN3 supervisors to provide coordinated oversight of reentry nurse and medical assistants assigned to the reentry program.
• Participates in regular communication with facility RN3 supervisors to review program performance, staffing barriers, training needs, workflow issues, patient care coordination concerns, coaching opportunities, compliance needs, and issues requiring follow up or corrective action.
• Partners with facility RN3 supervisors to monitor staff performance, workload, documentation quality, timeliness of assigned tasks, and understanding and application of established workflows.
• Collaborates with facility RN3 supervisors to support performance improvement plans, coaching documentation, and corrective action processes when program-related performance concerns are identified.
• Provides regular clinical direction, coaching, and technical assistance to Reentry Nurses, and Medical assistants to support consistent implementation of reentry nursing services across DOC facilities.
• Conducts individual meetings with Reentry Nurses to review caseloads, complex clinical situations, barriers to care coordination, documentation expectations, workflow concerns, and program performance. Includes facility RN3 supervisors as appropriate to support communication, alignment, and shared accountability.
• Provides guidance to facility teams when new protocols, workflows, or program changes are implemented to support consistent statewide adoption. Includes facility leaders as appropriate to support communication, alignment, and shared accountability.
• Facilitate statewide Reentry Nursing team meetings to provide program updates, clarify expectations, share best practices, review performance trends, problem-solve barriers, and promote standardization across facilities. Includes facility leaders as appropriate to support communication, alignment, and shared accountability.
• Supports change management by identifying barriers to implementation, engaging staff in problem-solving, and recommending process improvements.

Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

Initial and continuous unencumbered licensure in the State of Washington as a Registered Nurse

OR

An unencumbered Multi-State License from a participating Compact Licensure State and completion of the MLS demographic survey.

AND

At least five (5) years of recent acute clinical experience working as a Registered Nurse; at least three (3) of which, in a successful progressive management level position.

Certification by the American Heart Associate in Basic Life Support (BLS).

Extensive written and verbal communication skills.

Proficient in computer use.

In addition to the above, this position requires:

Analysis - Uses data and information in a clear and rationale thought process to assess and understand issues, evaluate options, form accurate conclusions and make decisions. Identifies key facts, understands the nature and relationship between data elements, recognizes underlying principles or patterns in an array of data, and determines if additional data should be collected. Uses judgment and critical thinking in the absence of clear guidelines to draw conclusions about further action.

Observation and Inspection - Critically observes and inspects people, conditions, and the environment to detect problems. Acutely aware of critical details, alert and attentive when performing other work, understands normal conditions and constantly compares the current status to the norm to identify subtle changes and incremental deviation, makes informed judgment about when a change in current status must occur and determines appropriate action. Uses insight to identify contributing and mediating factors. Understands thorough documentation and other forms of communication to cause others to understand and take appropriate action.

Decisiveness - Makes timely decisions without sacrificing quality even under ambiguous circumstances or when data is limited. Recognizes when a decision must be made and moves forward, delegates decision making authority appropriately, advocates for important patient care objectives and finds common ground, and solutions among diverse interests.

Communication- Demonstrate clear, concise and respectful communication with staff, community resources and patients. Ensure regular communication with multidisciplinary teams and deal with conflicts as they arise. Uses a large variety of verbal, written and electronic communication mediums to provide others with accurate and complete information as necessary and when requested.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

Master’s degree in nursing from accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing from accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent.

Master of Science in Nursing from an accredited college or university.

Five (5) years of successful experience in a nursing management level position.

Prior correctional experience.

Mission: The mission of DOC is to improve public safety by positively changing lives.

Our Vision: Working together for safer communities.

Our Commitment: To operate a safe and humane corrections system and partner with others to transform lives for a better Washington.

 

Our Core Values:

• Cultivate an environment of integrity and trust: Corrections values partnership and trust. We foster openness and support courageous conversations. We are committed to doing what we say we are going to do by being accountable and taking personal ownership in our actions.
• Respectful and inclusive interactions: Corrections appreciates and values individuals by promoting an inclusive and diverse environment, which encourages safety. We respect, value, and listen to the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of our stakeholders and consider the impact on those we serve as well as each other.
• People's safety: Corrections believes in creating an environment that values physical, mental, and emotional security and well-being. We honor those who advance safety for all.
• Positivity in words and actions: At Corrections, we assume positive intentions and believe there is a shared desire for the best outcome. We consistently demonstrate positive behavior and always put forth our best effort.
• Supporting people's success: Corrections is committed to our community – understanding individuals, instilling hope, embracing change, and providing opportunities.

 

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• DOC complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements for the federal employment eligibility verification form I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
• DOC does not use E-Verify; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM-Optional Practice Training (OPT). For information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

• Please include a minimum of three (3) professional references with your application. A professional reference is defined as an individual who has been paid to supervise your work and can attest to your work performance, technical skills, and job competencies. If you do not have any or sufficient professional references, please include non-related professionals, such as educators or other professional associates. 

**Please note: Phone number AND email address are required for all professional references.

• A background check including criminal record history will be conducted prior to a new hire. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.
• Employees may work directly with or near incarcerated individuals in a potentially hazardous setting. Please consider this when deciding whether to apply. 
• We are committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free work environment, and our employees are expected to comply with all state and federal laws. A pre-employment drug test may be administered as part of the selection process, and applicants who test positive for any controlled substances, will be disqualified from consideration. 
• Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an aerosol pepper spray made available as a means of self-defense and/or de-escalation. Applicants with sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position. 
• Animal care projects are a common component of most Washington State prisons, including dog and cat programs. Applicants with animal sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is a priority health issue for DOC employees. The successful candidate may be required to provide valid proof of a baseline TB skin test within 60 days from the date of hire. When positive tests result, further information, testing and treatment will also be required. Employment is not contingent upon test results.
• This position may be represented by a bargaining unit.

• Requires respirator medical evaluation questionnaire, fit testing, training, and use of respiratory protection as required by the WA Industrial Safety & Act standards. Refer to WAC 296-842 to learn more. 
• Must be able to work in spaces, climb stairs, walk long distances, and frequently lift up to 30 pounds. Under rare circumstances this position may be required to lift or carry up to 50 pounds and push up to 100 pounds. 
• Foreign equivalent degrees awarded outside the United States must have a credential evaluation report attached to your application. You may request the required evaluation/documentation from www.wes.org and www.aice-eval.org. Until this documentation is provided, you will not be selected to move forward in the hiring process.
• Candidates who are offered a job with the Department of Corrections must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• Salary is based on experience and is determined at the time a final offer of employment is made. 

We are committed to hiring individuals who possess core diversity competencies:  

Foster a positive attitude and openness toward the ever changing social and cultural makeup of the workplace.

• Work effectively with people of different perspectives, abilities, disabilities, races, religions, ages, lifestyle preferences and social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
• Respectfully acknowledge people's differences and recognize these differences as important and valuable.
• Promote inclusiveness.
• Be culturally sensitive and appropriate.
• Respect and value diverse backgrounds and traditions.

What We Offer: 

As an employee of the Department of Corrections, your work-life integration is a priority. Washington State employees are offered one of the most inclusive and competitive benefits packages in the nation. Besides comprehensive family insurance for medical, dental, and vision, these perks also may include:

• Up to 25 paid vacations days a year
• Remote/telework/flexible schedules (depending on position)
• 3 days of bereavement Leave
• 8 hours of paid sick leave per month
• 12 paid holidays a year 
• Generous retirement plan
• Flex Spending Accounts
• Dependent Care Assistance
• Deferred Compensation and so much more!

State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

DOC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, honorably discharged veteran, veteran status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.

For questions about this recruitment, or to request reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email kathey.waggoner@doc1.wa.gov or call us at 509-907-7808 For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.